The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has approached the RTO authorities to seek approval for its ambitious rental e-bike initiative, in which it intends to bring 1,000 e-bikes onto city roads as a mode of public transportation.
The civic authority pitched the project idea two years ago to reduce environmental pollution in the city.
On Friday, PMC commissioner Vikram Kumar requested sanction from State transport commissioner Vivek Dhimanwar as there are no norms and procedures in place for e-bikes.
According to the PMC proposal, these bikes would be rented for public transportation in the following months, and 200 charging stations will be established across the city to meet their daily charging needs.
The stations will be positioned in central locations and in areas where individuals may readily access bikes. To meet the needs of the local community, each station will have five bikes attached to it.
The state transport commissioner has even communicated to the PMC that the state government has not taken any decision regarding whether permission needs to be taken for e-bikes. Due to the ambiguity of the issue, the project had been stalled for the past two years.
Commenting on the issue, Kumar said, “The service of an e-bike is in the larger interests of the citizens and it must be given immediate approval from the transport department. Pune residents can rent e-bikes for as low as ₹4 per kilometre, with a private agency setting up all necessary infrastructure and ensuring the project’s safety procedures.”
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